U.S. unemployment rate ticks up despite job increase

Though U.S. employers added 280,000 jobs in May, the national unemployment rate ticked up a tenth of a point to 5.5 percent.

Job gains were reported primarily in professional and business services, leisure and hospitality, and health care, according to a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics news release.

Employers in the professional and business services industry increased payroll employment by 63,000 jobs in May. Within the sector, temporary help services led the way with 20,000 new positions.

Leisure and hospitality employers added 57,000 jobs in May, following little change in the previous two months. Arts, entertainment and recreation jobs rose by 29,000 to lead the industry, according to the release.

In the health care industry, employers created 47,000 new jobs last month. Ambulatory care services added 28,00 jobs and hospitals posted 16,000 new positions.

In the U.S., the number of unemployed in May was 8.7 million, which was largely unchanged from the previous month, according to the release.[[In-content Ad]]